1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory card connector for accommodating a thin plastic memory card such as a credit card having an IC memory installed therein or a prepaid card, and more particularly to an improvement in or relating to the contact structure of the memory card connector.
2. Related Arts
Referring to FIG. 11A, a conventional memory card connector 10 has contacts 13 mounted in its card receptacle 11, allowing their contact heads 13a to rise resiliently.
Referring to FIG. 11B, the memory card 12 has contacts 12a arranged on one side. The contact heads 13a of the contacts 13 are made to rub on the shaded area 12b of the front end 12c of the memory card 12 so that the contact heads 13a may be worn or defaced while the memory card is inserted or removed from the connector 10.
After rubbing on the shaded area 12b, the contact heads 13a of the contacts 13 are put in contact with the contacts 12a, thereby making required electric connections therebetween for permitting data signals to be transferred from the memory card 12 to a device whose electric circuits are connected to the contacts 13 of the connector 10. When inserted in the card receptacle 11, the memory card 12 is prevented from slipping off; the card 12 is pushed against the ceiling of the card receptacle 11 by the rising heads of the contacts 13.
Every time the memory card 12 is inserted or removed from the connector 10, the hard contact heads 13a rub the shaded area 12b, and finally the shaded area 12c is worn or defaced in conformity with the trace of the contact heads 13a, and the contact heads 13a are worn, too. Also, disadvantageously the memory card 12 cannot be held fixedly in the connector 10 so far as friction is used to stop the surface of the memory card 12 sliding over the floor of the receptacle 11 of the connector 10.
In view of the above, one object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector whose contact heads are allowed to rub nowhere before making contact with the contacts of a memory card.
To attain this object, a memory card connector having contact heads to make contact with the contacts of a memory card when inserted in the card receptacle of the memory card connector is improved according to the present invention in that it comprises contact limiting means responsive to insertion of the memory card into the card receptacle for preventing the contact heads from touching anywhere on the way to the contacts of the memory card.
With this arrangement the memory card is guaranteed to be free of being worn at the place where otherwise, the memory card would be rubbed by the contact heads.
The memory card connector includes a movable card-ejecting plate slidably fitted in the card receptacle, the limiting means comprising guide means for controlling the movement of the contact heads to the contacts of the memory in such a way that the contact heads may be prevented from touching anywhere on the way to the contacts of the memory card while the memory card is being inserted.
With this arrangement the card-ejecting plate takes a part of releasing the contact heads at the time the contact heads come close to the counter contacts of the memory card.
The movable card-ejecting plate may have card retainers to prevent the memory card from slipping off from the card connector.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of a memory card connector according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in accompanying drawings.